Presence-enabled inbox

ABSTRACT

A system can include a number of personal and group presence indicators that each correspond to a user or group and a presence-enabled inbox that can display an itemized listing of contents. The presence-enabled inbox can also display personal and/or group presence indicators in connection with a certain content where the corresponding users or groups are currently interacting with the content.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/224,778, titled “COLLABORATION TOOLS” and filed on Jul. 10, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/236,005, titled “PRESENCE-ENABLED INBOX” and filed on Aug. 21, 2009, both of which are hereby fully incorporated by reference herein.

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. __/___,___, titled “COLLABORATION SWARMING” and filed on Oct. __, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No. __/___,___, titled “INTELLIGENT CO-BROWSING AND CO-EDITING” and filed on Oct. __, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No. __/___,___, titled “AUTO GENERATED AND INFERRED GROUP CHAT PRESENCE” and filed on Oct. __, 2009, U.S. patent application Ser. No. __/___,___, titled “UNIFIED ADDRESSING, SENDING, AND RECEIVING COLLABORATION SERVICE” and filed on Oct. __, 2009, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. __/___,___, titled “UNIFIED EDITABLE INBOX” and filed on Oct. __, 2009, all of which are commonly assigned with this application and are hereby fully incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed technology pertains to multi-user collaboration environments, and more particularly to indicating or suppressing the presence of users and groups in connection with particular contents.

BACKGROUND

Collaboration systems are designed to facilitate the sharing of documents and media among the members of a team. Collaboration applications, which are also generally referred to as groupware, are highly interactive and knowledge-based applications that can assist team members who are often focused on a common goal. Such systems foster a cross-fertilization of knowledge and ideas from the various team members in a virtual conversation. Users often send messages and/or documents to each other as part of the collaborative process.

However, users of current collaboration systems can only request feedback on a collaborative message topic or document in real-time by using an out-of-band chat mechanism. Furthermore, such a chat mechanism would not be available to all of the intended message or document recipients. For example, the chat mechanism would be unavailable to members that are currently not online or are experiencing connectivity issues. These users would thus be unable to take advantage of the chat mechanism. Also, once back online, these users would be unable to determine which users interacted with the message topic or document and when.

Thus, there remains a need for a way to address these and other problems associated with the prior art.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosed technology center on the notion of user and/or group presence. For example, a user's presence-enabled inbox can provide a variety of information pertaining to current, recent, or past activity by other users or groups with respect to a specific document or message. Such information can be presented in an index-type manner so that the user can quickly and easily tell which of the many messages and documents are active and to what extent by seeing who is currently visiting the messages and documents.

Thus, embodiments of the disclosed technology introduce a concept of enabling presence on documents and messages provided in connection a user's inbox. A presence-enabled inbox can advantageously provide the user with information pertaining to which particular users have visited, e.g., accessed or edited, certain documents or messages. The presence-enabled inbox can also provide the user with a reporting tool that can provide specific information as to which users and/or groups have visited the documents or messages and to what extent they have contributed to the collaboration.

The foregoing and other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates an example of a screenshot corresponding to a presence-enabled inbox in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates an example of a screenshot corresponding to a content reporting tool in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a system in which embodiments of the disclosed technology can be implemented.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart that illustrates an example of a machine-controlled method of a user interacting with a content in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates an example of a machine-controlled method of at least one member of a group interacting with a content in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart that illustrates an example of a machine-controlled method of a user initiating an invisibility feature while interacting with a content in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In certain implementations of the disclosed technology, a presence-enabled inbox can include an index of a group of contents, e.g., messages or documents, presented in a vertical listing. The various contents listed in the inbox can be shared among different message addressees. The presence-enabling of such an inbox can advantageously enable a user to see at a glance whether other users are presently visiting any of the contents listed in the inbox. By being able to see which people are engaged in a particular message topic or document, for example, a user can quickly and easily determine, in real-time, whether the message topic or document is particularly interesting to its audience.

In situations where a user visits and then decides to contribute to a particular message or document where there is already activity, the user is essentially presented with an opportunity to engage the other visitors in a real-time chat or “swarm.” Swarming is described in co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. __/___,___, titled “COLLABORATION SWARMING,” for example. A swarm can provide the user with an ability to receive feedback on the message topic right away, thereby enhancing his or her own productivity as well as that of the collaboration group. The collective knowledge that a particular topic, e.g., message or document, is being considered by several different people at the same time may prompt someone to comment and share their insights, where such person may not have done so otherwise.

A presence-enabled inbox can display an index of a list of shared messages or documents. The index entries presented in the list can show the first several characters contained within each message or document, for example. Thus, a user can quickly and easily determine the nature of the message or document before opening it. The user can also decide whether the message or document concerns the particular collaboration topic of interest to him or her. Furthermore, if the user is seeking a particular content, the user can confirm that the particular message or document is indeed the specific message or document that he or she seeks before visiting the content.

An interface feature such as a Visit button can be presented on the index entry itself within the displayed inbox to enable a user to join in the particular collaboration document or message. If the user decides to visit the collaboration, the system can display a personal presence indicator, such as an avatar, corresponding to the user in connection with, e.g., adjacent to, each corresponding message or document index entry that is displayed in all of the presence-enabled inboxes of each collaboration recipient. During his or her visit to the collaboration, the user can simply read or actively contribute to, e.g., comment on or interact with, the pertinent message topic or document.

In situations where multiple users concurrently visit a specific message or document, a collective list of visitors can be displayed adjacent to the index entry. For example, the inbox can display a personal presence indicator such as an avatar corresponding to each visitor of the corresponding message or document in connection with, e.g., adjacent to, the pertinent index entry. In certain embodiments, the inbox can display all of the personal presence indicators up to a fixed number predetermined by either the user or system limitations.

Once a user has finished participating in the collaboration, he or she can leave the visited message or document by closing it, for example. In the case of a power failure or other connectivity issue, the user's visit may be forcibly ended. Regardless of how a user leaves a message or topic, the system can notify other particular users or groups of the user's departure from the message or document. The system can do so in a passive manner, e.g., by simply removing his or her avatar from the index entry displayed in each of the others' inboxes. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the system can more actively inform the other users or groups of the user's departure by providing a notification message or alert to each user or group.

In certain embodiments, a user can set his or her personal presence identifier or indicator to “invisible” if he or she does not want her visiting status to be public and possibly broadcast to a large number of other users, for example. A presence-enabled inbox in accordance with the disclosed technology can provide a Presence Visibility/Invisibility button to enable the user to direct the system to display or suppress his or her personal presence indicator for other collaboration users or groups, for example.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates an example of a screenshot corresponding to a presence-enabled inbox 100. In the example, the presence-enabled inbox 100 has several different sections: a user/group listing section 102, a content details section 110, a user/group details section 108, and an additional features section 126. One having ordinary skill in art will appreciate that there is a virtually unlimited number of sections and section types that can be implemented in connection with the presence-enabled inbox 100, as well as the layout and arrangement of such sections, and that the invention should not be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated herein.

In the example, the user/group listing section 102 is currently displaying indicators, e.g., linking buttons or icons, corresponding to three different users (Amy 104A, Bob 104B, and Charlie 104C) and two different groups (“Work Project” 106A and “Noon Basketball” 106B). Any of the users 104A, 104B, and 104C can join or otherwise associate themselves with any of the groups 106A and 106B, subject to any restrictions placed thereon. In certain embodiments, the user/group listing section 102 can include an indexed listing of each user's presences and/or certain presence-related information pertaining to the user. For example, the indexed listing can include a personal status update, e.g., the most recent or most commented-on status update, and/or an avatar, e.g., a badged avatar, in connection with the corresponding indicator for each user user.

The content details section 110 is currently displaying a single particular content 112. In other embodiments, the content details section 110 can display multiple contents or links thereto simultaneously. As used herein, a content refers to a readable and editable item such as a document or a message from a user or group. A content can also include one or more attached items such as other documents or messages. As described in co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. __/___,___, titled “INTELLIGENT CO-BROWSING AND CO-EDITING,” such contents are generally co-browsable and co-editable.

In the example, the content 112 has several items associated therewith. A comment 114A from the user Amy contains information that Amy placed into the content 112 itself, such as a comment or a question about the content 112 or other related content. The content 112 also has three presence indicators: a first presence indicator 116A that corresponds to the user Amy, a second presence indicator 118A that corresponds to the group Work Project, and a third presence indicator 116C that corresponds to the user Charlie.

The content 112 displayed in the example has three additional items: a Visit button 120, a Make Group button 122, and a Reports button 124. A user can press the Visit button 120 to “visit” the corresponding content in order to read or edit the content, for example. The Reports button 124 can be used to invoke a content reports tool, which is discussed in detail below with respect to FIG. 2.

The Make Group button 122 can enable a user to direct the system to dynamically create a group consisting of all the users and/or groups currently associated with the content. In the example, activation of the Make Group Button 122, i.e., by a user pressing the button, would direct the system to immediately collect the identities of the pertinent users or groups as identified by the currently-displayed presence indicators 116A, 118A, and 116C, for example. The system could then create a group that includes all of the users/groups that correspond to the collected identities. If such a group already exists, the system can alert the user to this fact and ask whether the user wishes to still proceed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates an example of a screenshot corresponding to a content reporting tool display 200. In the example, the content reporting tool display 200 includes three sections. A User/Group Visits section 202 can provide information pertaining to which users and/or groups have visited the pertinent message or document. For example, the personal presence indicator for each user that has visited the content within user-specifiable parameters, e.g., within the last week, can be displayed in the User/Group Visits section 202.

In situations where a certain number of group members, e.g., a majority, have visited a particular message or document, the presence-enabled inbox can present a group presence identifier or indicator in connection with the message or document. In certain embodiments, the inbox can present one or more group presence indicators in place of or in addition to the personal presence indicator for a certain member of the group(s) whenever the member has participated in the collaboration.

A User/Group Edit History section 204 can display information pertaining to the specific contributions of each participating user or group in the collaboration. For example, the User/Group Edit History section 204 can display the personal presence indicator for each participating user along with detailed information pertaining to the user's contribution, such as what information the user added and when.

In the example, the content reporting tool display 200 also includes a Reporting Options section 206 that can provide the user with various options for obtaining information pertaining to a particular collaboration. For example, a user can direct the system to limit reporting to user or group contributions that have occurred within the past week. The user can also request that the content reporting tool provide detailed information for certain collaboration topics and only minimal information for other, less interesting topics.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a system 300 in which embodiments of the disclosed technology can be implemented. The system 300 includes a network 302, such as the Internet or a company's intranet, that can facilitate interaction between multiple devices such as desktop computers 304 and 306 and laptop computers 308 and 310. Other devices such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) 312 and mobile devices 314 and 316, e.g., cellular or smart phones, can also be used as part of the system 300. In the example, a first user's desktop computer 304 can provide a presence-enabled inbox 100 for the first user and a second user's laptop computer 308 can provide a presence-enabled inbox 100 for the second user.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart that illustrates an example of a machine-controlled method 400 of a user interacting with a content, e.g., a document or message. In the example, a user Amy visits a particular content, as shown at 402. Amy can visit a particular message or document by clicking on a Visit button 120 displayed in connection with the message or document, for example.

The system can indicate Amy's presence at the content to other users or groups by displaying Amy's personal presence identifier or indicator, e.g., avatar, to other users as shown at 404, for example. In certain embodiments, the system can display Amy's personal presence indicator to every user or group having an association with the particular content. Alternatively, the system can limit the display of Amy's personal presence indicator to users or groups that are currently online or only those users or groups that are presently participating in the collaboration.

Once Amy has initiated her visit to the content, she can edit the content, as shown at 406. For example, Amy may contribute to the collaboration topic by adding her own comments or attachments such as documents or files to the content. Alternatively, Amy may desire to only read or briefly review the current state of the content and not edit the content at this time. Thus, 406 is an optional step as indicated by the dashed lines.

After Amy has finished her interaction with the content, Amy can leave the content, as indicated at 408. In certain situations such as a power failure or network, disconnect, Amy's departure from the content may be involuntary. Regardless of the manner of Amy's departure, however, the system can indicate Amy's departure to the other users or groups by simply removing Amy's personal presence indicator from the indexed entry corresponding to the content as displayed at the other users' presence-enabled inboxes, as shown at 410. In certain embodiments, the system can also send a notice or alert indicating Amy's departure to the other users or groups, as shown at 412.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates an example of a machine-controlled method 500 of at least one member of a group interacting with a content. In the example, at least one member of a group called Work Project visits a particular content, as shown at 502. The one or more users can each visit the content by clicking on the Visit button 120 displayed in connection with the message or document at his or her presence-enabled inbox, for example.

The system can indicate the group's presence at the content to other users or groups by displaying a corresponding group presence identifier or indicator to other users as shown at 504, for example. In certain embodiments, the system can determine that the group is visiting the content based on the number of group members that are presently visiting or have previously visited the content. The threshold number of group members to trigger such a determination can be a majority of the group or the entirety of the group, for example. Alternatively, the system can display the group presence indicator in addition to or in place of the personal presence indicator displayed for each individual group member that is visiting or has previously visited the content.

At 506, at least one of the members of the group visiting the content leaves the content. The system can then remove the group presence indicator currently displayed in connection with the content at the presence-enabled inbox of each of the other users, as shown at 508. In certain embodiments, the system can then display a personal presence indicator or modified group presence indicator at the other users' inboxes, as shown at 510. For example, the system can display the group presence indicator with some type of marking or other indication that less than all of the group members [or less than the number of previously visiting group members] are currently visiting the content. Thus, users can be alerted to group involvement in a certain collaboration effort even when certain members of the group are not participating.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart that illustrates an example of a machine-controlled method 600 of a user initiating an invisibility feature while interacting with a content. In the example, responsive to user Amy visiting a content, the system displays Amy's personal presence indicator to the other users and/or groups associated with the content, as shown at 602 and 604, respectively.

Amy then initiates or invokes an invisibility feature, as shown at 606. Amy can do so by pressing a Presence Visibility/Invisibility button 128, for example. Responsive to Amy's request, the system can suppress the display of Amy's personal presence indicator to the other users or groups, as shown at 608. In certain embodiments, the system can treat the suppressing of Amy's personal presence indicator in a manner similar to Amy's departure from the content, e.g., 408 of FIG. 4, such that the other users or groups would not be able to tell whether Amy has actually left the content or is simply continuing her visit at the content without exposing her presence there.

While the illustrated embodiments focus on contents such as messages and documents, one having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that implementations of the disclosed technology can also be applied beyond messages and documents into different applications and data sets. For example, certain implementations can pertain to which users or groups are visiting or have visited a certain bug database. Other implementations can pertain to which users or groups are visiting or have visited a particular customer record in a customer relationship management (CRM) application, for example.

General Description of a Suitable Machine in which Embodiments of the Disclosed Technology can be Implemented

The following discussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable machine in which embodiments of the disclosed technology can be implemented. As used herein, the term “machine” is intended to broadly encompass a single machine or a system of communicatively coupled machines or devices operating together. Exemplary machines can include computing devices such as personal computers, workstations, servers, portable computers, handheld devices, tablet devices, and the like.

Typically, a machine includes a system bus to which processors, memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and other state-preserving medium), storage devices, a video interface, and input/output interface ports can be attached. The machine can also include embedded controllers such as programmable or non-programmable logic devices or arrays, Application Specific Integrated Circuits, embedded computers, smart cards, and the like. The machine can be controlled, at least in part, by input from conventional input devices (e.g., keyboards and mice), as well as by directives received from another machine, interaction with a virtual reality (VR) environment, biometric feedback, or other input signal.

The machine can utilize one or more connections to one or more remote machines, such as through a network interface, modem, or other communicative coupling. Machines can be interconnected by way of a physical and/or logical network, such as an intranet, the Internet, local area networks, wide area networks, etc. One having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that network communication can utilize various wired and/or wireless short range or long range carriers and protocols, including radio frequency (RF), satellite, microwave, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 545.11, Bluetooth, optical, infrared, cable, laser, etc.

Embodiments of the disclosed technology can be described by reference to or in conjunction with associated data including functions, procedures, data structures, application programs, instructions, etc. that, when accessed by a machine, can result in the machine performing tasks or defining abstract data types or low-level hardware contexts. Associated data can be stored in, for example, volatile and/or non-volatile memory (e.g., RAM and ROM) or in other storage devices and their associated storage media, which can include hard-drives, floppy-disks, optical storage, tapes, flash memory, memory sticks, digital video disks, biological storage, and other tangible, physical storage media.

Associated data can be delivered over transmission environments, including the physical and/or logical network, in the form of packets, serial data, parallel data, propagated signals, etc., and can be used in a compressed or encrypted format. Associated data can be used in a distributed environment, and stored locally and/or remotely for machine access.

Having described and illustrated the principles of the invention with reference to illustrated embodiments, it will be recognized that the illustrated embodiments may be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles, and may be combined in any desired manner. And although the foregoing discussion has focused on particular embodiments, other configurations are contemplated. In particular, even though expressions such as “according to an embodiment of the invention” or the like are used herein, these phrases are meant to generally reference embodiment possibilities, and are not intended to limit the invention to particular embodiment configurations. As used herein, these terms may reference the same or different embodiments that are combinable into other embodiments.

Consequently, in view of the wide variety of permutations to the embodiments described herein, this detailed description and accompanying material is intended to be illustrative only, and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. What is claimed as the invention, therefore, is all such modifications as may come within the scope and spirit of the following claims and equivalents thereto. 

1. A system, comprising: a plurality of personal presence indicators, wherein each of the plurality of personal presence indicators corresponds to one of a plurality of users; and a presence-enabled inbox operable to display an itemized listing of contents and further operable to display at least one of the plurality of personal presence indicators in connection with a particular one of the contents, wherein a corresponding one of the plurality of users is currently interacting with the particular one of the contents.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of personal presence indicators comprises an avatar.
 3. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one group presence indicator corresponding to a collaboration group.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the presence-enabled inbox is further operable to display the at least one group personal presence indicator in connection with the particular one of the contents, wherein the collaboration group is currently interacting with the particular one of the contents.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a group making tool operable to direct the presence-enabled inbox to form a group comprising the corresponding one of the plurality of users that is currently interacting with the particular one of the contents.
 6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a visibility tool operable to direct the presence-enabled inbox to suppress the at least one of the plurality of personal presence indicators displayed by the presence-enabled inbox.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the visibility tool is further operable to direct the presence-enabled inbox to re-display the at least one of the plurality of personal presence indicators suppressed by the presence-enabled inbox.
 8. A machine-controlled method, comprising: determining whether a user is visiting a particular content; and responsive to a determination that the user is visiting the particular content, a presence-enabled inbox displaying a personal presence identifier corresponding to the user visiting the particular content in connection with an indexed listing corresponding to the particular content.
 9. The machine-controlled method of claim 8, further comprising the presence-enabled inbox suppressing the personal presence identifier responsive to a request from the user to make the user's visit to the particular content invisible to other users.
 10. The machine-controlled method of claim 8, further comprising determining whether a group is visiting the particular content.
 11. The machine-controlled method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the group is visiting the particular content comprises determining whether a predetermined number of members of the group are visiting the particular content.
 12. The machine-controlled method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the group is visiting the particular content comprises determining whether all of the members or the group are visiting the particular content.
 13. The machine-controlled method of claim 10, further comprising, responsive to a determination that the group is visiting the particular content, the presence-enabled inbox displaying a group presence identifier corresponding to the group in connection with the indexed listing corresponding to the particular content.
 14. The machine-controlled method of claim 8, further comprising, responsive to a determination that the user has left the content, the presence-enabled inbox ceasing the display of the personal presence identifier,
 15. The machine-controlled method of claim 14, further comprising, responsive to the determination that the user has left the content, the presence-enabled inbox providing a message indicating that the user has left the content.
 16. The machine-controlled method of claim 13, further comprising, responsive to a determination that the group has left the content, the presence-enabled inbox ceasing the display of the group presence identifier.
 17. One or more tangible, machine-readable media storing machine-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the machine-controlled method of claim
 8. 18. A method, comprising: a user visiting a content; a remote user visiting the content; a first presence-enabled inbox displaying to the user a first personal presence indicator corresponding to the remote user; a second presence-enabled inbox displaying to the remote user a second personal presence indicator corresponding to the user; and the first presence-enabled inbox providing the user with a presence invisibility feature configured to direct the second presence-enabled inbox to cease the displaying of the second personal presence indicator.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the second presence-enabled inbox providing the remote user with a presence invisibility feature configured to direct the first presence-enabled inbox to cease the displaying of the first personal presence indicator.
 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising the first presence-enabled inbox providing the user with a “make group” feature. 